


You Belong With Me

by unreliable_trash



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Bisexual Will, Breakups, But when isn't he, Childhood Friendship, Doctor Will, Flashbacks, Gay Nico, Human AU, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nico has tattoos, Panic Attacks, Platonic Cuddling, Title based off a song, a bit of a slowburn, band au, it's just his thing, leo likes to destroy things, maybe just a bit of a himbo, maybe some jealousy?, maybe? - Freeform, musician Nico, nico has a past, nico is angsty, nico's also a romantic, solangelo, song title, we'll find out i guess, will is a himbo?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:00:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29723853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unreliable_trash/pseuds/unreliable_trash
Summary: "Okay seriously, how the fuck do you guys do that?" Jason spoke up from his seat next to Will.Nico looked over at the blonde male. "Do what?" He asked innocently as he took a bite of his pizza slice.Jason gestured wildly between the two. "That!" He exclaimed, flabbergasted.Nico looked back over at Will and raised and eyebrow, to which Will just shook his head and chuckled.Nico looked back over at Jason. "Magic," he replied, waving his fingers at Jason.This got even more laughter out of Will, earning a small smile from Nico.Nico loved that smile. At some point after meeting Will, he didn't know when, it had become his priority to make sure he never loses that smile.Even if they did make his heart pound every time.He would never admit that though.Especially now that Will has a girlfriend.But Nico has gotten used to keeping his feelings hidden. He learned a long time ago to just push them aside and resort to the friendly banter the two of them have had going for over a decade.Nico learned his lesson after what had happened with Percy. He was determined to make sure that never happened again.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 15
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I am SO excited for this fic. I have so many ideas in mind and I can't wait to get them out of my head and form them into chapters!  
> I expect the chapters to get longer and longer as the fic goes on, so you can look forward to that as well  
> A little bit of shameless promo, follow me on tumblr @unreliable-trash !  
> I post updates for my fics, as well as sneak peaks!
> 
> For those of you that are reading my fic Without You, please know that I have not abandoned it! I'm still working on it! School has just been really crazy lately, and my mental health has been shot, so I just needed a break from it all. I expect to have another chapter out for that in the next week or so, so keep an eye out for that!  
> And if you haven't read Without You or any of my other fics, please feel free to check them out! It would make me really happy!
> 
> Oh! Feel free to leave comments on this fic on what you'd like to see or even what you think might happen! I do my best to respond to every single comment, and they really do make my day! Anyways, on with the fic! I really hope ya'll enjoy it!

Will and Nico had been friends for years now. Since middle school to be exact. Now they're juniors in college.

They've had their ups and downs, but in the end, they always came back together. They knew everything about each other.

Well. Almost everything

This was evident at the pizza parlor they were sitting inside with their friends for lunch at New Rome University. All they had to do was look at each other from where they sat across from each other and they were able to have a full-blown conversation without speaking a word.

It wasn't until someone spoke up that they remembered they weren't the only ones there.

"Okay seriously, how the fuck do you guys do that?" Jason spoke up from his seat next to Will.

Nico looked over at the blonde male. "Do what?" He asked innocently as he took a bite of his pizza slice.

Jason gestured wildly between the two. "That!" He exclaimed, flabbergasted.

Nico looked back over at Will and raised and eyebrow, to which Will just shook his head and chuckled.

Nico looked back over at Jason. "Magic," he replied, waving his fingers at Jason.

This got even more laughter out of Will, earning a small smile from Nico.

Nico loved that smile. At some point after meeting Will, he didn't know when, it had become his priority to make sure he never loses that smile.

Even if they did make his heart pound every time.

He would never admit that though.

Especially now that Will has a girlfriend.

But Nico has gotten used to keeping his feelings hidden. He learned a long time ago to just push them aside and resort to the friendly banter the two of them have had going for over a decade.

Nico learned his lesson after what had happened with Percy. He was determined to make sure that never happened again.

A ding from someone's phone drew Nico from his thoughts.

Will picked up his phone and frowned as he stood up. "Sorry guys. I gotta bounce. I'm meeting up with Katie soon."

Nico nodded and stood up after him. "I have to meet Leo for band practice too." He looked over at Jason and Piper. "It was nice catching up with you two." He told his companions with a head nod in their direction.

Two years ago, when they were freshmen at their college, they met Leo. While he found him annoying at first, Nico eventually started getting along with Leo. So when they found out they had similar tastes in music and that they were both musically inclined, they formed a band. They weren't all that well-known except for on campus and around the area. Only a few months after getting together, they were able to book gigs at the local cafe at their university, and since then they kept getting invited back, and they never turned down an offer.

Once they were out of sight of their friends, Nico nudged Will with his shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong? And don't tell me 'nothing' cause I know something's up."

Will sighed. "Katie and I got into another fight. The only reason I'm meeting up with her tonight is because we had plans and neither of us want to let that up," he told Nico.

Nico scowled. "Another one? That's what? Five in the past two weeks? That can't be healthy for your relationship, you've got to know that," Nico said, the scowl not leaving his face. He knew he was probably coming off a bit harsh, but he was just concerned for his best friend.

Will sighed again. "Yeah yeah, I know. I do, really. But I love her, you know I love her. We'll get through this, I just know we will. We always do." The words almost sounded forced, as if Will was trying to convince himself just as much as Nico.

Nico struggled to hold back a flinch. That hurt. Yes, he knew Will didn't love him the way Nico loved him, but that didn't make it hurt any less hearing Will say he loved someone that Nico knew wasn't good enough for him.

They had never discussed Will's sexuality together, even when Nico had come out to his best friend as gay, so Nico couldn't even be sure Will was even _into_ guys. That hurt in it's own way. He already had to go through one heartbreak cause the guy happened to be straight, he didn't think he could afford another one, especially from someone so close to him.

Nico was shaken out of this thoughts when he felt Will nudge him with his shoulder. "You're too invested with my love life. It's about time we got you a boyfriend," Will told him with a wide smile.

Nico shook his head. "Nope. No thanks. Not interested." That was a lie. Nico was very interested in getting a boyfriend, but the one he wanted wasn't available to him.

"Come on," Will whined. "I could set you up with someone! Or Lou, or Cecil! I'm sure they know a few guys you'd like!" The blond boy exclaimed.

Nico sighed. "Seriously, Will. I'm not interested. I don't even like anyone right now." Another lie.

Will frowned, hearing the serious tone Nico's voice had taken. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. I just want you to be happy. I always want you to be happy."

Nico nodded. "I know. And it's okay. But when I tell you the first time that I'm not interested, then I'm really not interested, okay?" Will nodded in agreement, but the frown refused to leave his face. "Besides, I'd rather just be with my best friend. Not sure if you know him, but he's a pretty nice guy." Nico said, lightly leaning into Will, a smile spreading across the Italian's face, finally pulling a smile back on the taller man's face. Good. Will wouldn't be sad as long as Nico could help it.

"Thanks, Death Boy. I guess you're okay too," Will retorted with a small smirk, flinging an arm around Nico's shoulders.

Nico glared at him, but one look at his eyes and you could tell there was no real heat to it. "Excuse you. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you," Nico shot back.

Will chuckled and drew out his keys as they approached his car. Before getting in, Will turned to face Nico once more. "We're still on for tomorrow right?"

Nico nodded. "Of course, Sunshine. That is, if I'm _cool enough_ for you." Nico replied with a grin, earning him a smack on the shoulder.

" _Goodbye,_ Nico. I'll text you once I'm home. Have fun at practice and don't let Leo burn anything down."

Nico pretended to salute as he answered, "Yessir! Will do sir!" with a smile. "Have fun on your date," he said once more before hopping on the motorcycle parked next to Will's car and zooming off before Will could say anything else.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Super excited to get this chapter out! As you've probably noticed, this chapter is WAAAYYYYY longer than the first chapter! This chapter is exactly 4253 words (22,604 characters) long. Literally the longest chapter I've ever written.  
> I really wanted this to be one whole chapter, which is why I didn't split it into two chapters.
> 
> make sure to read the notes at the bottom as well, please! Enjoy, and please don't hate me! <3

Will's fingers tapped nervously against his steering wheel as he drove off a few minutes after Nico.

He knew it probably wasn't a good idea to be doing this, going out with Katie again so soon after their fight, especially since they had yet to make up, but he knew he had no choice. Katie made sure of that. Whether he liked it or not, they were going to dinner, even if that meant they didn't speak a word to each other.

Every time they had a fight, especially one like this, Will couldn't help but fret that it would be the last. He knew Nico was right, that the relationship he had with Katie wasn't exactly healthy, but there was something about her that kept pulling him back in.

Will would apologize, Katie was apologize back, all the while Will's subconscious would mistake her insincerity for exhaustion.

Once again, Will knew that wasn't healthy, but he didn't care. Not right now. Maybe he'll regret it in the future, but that was his choice to make.

When Will finally pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, which looked a lot fancier than he had expected, that Katie had given him the address to, he took a long, deep breath before walking inside.

When giving his name to the hostess, he found that Katie was already there, waiting for him.

The hostess pointed him in the direction of their table, and when Will walked around the corner to where their table was, he was greeted with a scowl by Katie.

"What are you wearing? You're embarrassing me!" She screeched as he sat down opposite her.

Will shrugged. "You didn't tell me to wear anything special, so I wore what I always wear. Deal with it." His voice came out icier than he had heard it in a while, shocking not only Katie but himself.

Katie glared at him. "I don't know what's gotten up your ass, but you need to calm the fuck down." She replied, voice equally as cold.

This set Will off. Checking his watch, he had only been there a few minutes, but he didn't think he could stand being around her any longer if she was going to be like this. "Sorry, Katie, but this was a bad idea. I can't be here right now." As he made to get up, he felt a pull on his sleeve. Looking down, he could see a clawed hand gripping his arm.

"Stop. Sit down. I'm sorry. It's been a stressful day. Let's just order and eat, then you can go home. Okay?"

Will took a deep breath before nodding, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding once Katie released her grip on him.

Sitting back down, he picked up a menu and started to search for something to eat, regardless of the fact that he had lost his appetite a while ago.

A waitress soon appeared, taking both their orders, taking their menus with her. It was a few more minutes of silence before Will spoke up again. "I'm sorry as well." He said quietly.

Katie looked up at him as he spoke, urging him to go on as if she had been waiting for his words since their fight last night.

"I overreacted and was stressed out from classes and took it out on you. That was wrong of me, and I'm sorry." Will said again, his voice more confident this time.

Will met Katie's eyes as she laid a hand gently on his forearm where it lay on the table. "It's okay, Will. We both said things we shouldn't have. Water under the bridge?" Will nodded. He could deal with that. "Water under the bridge," he repeated.

-

Nico wiped the sweat off his forehead as he reached for a bottle of water out of the mini fridge he kept in the sound-proof room in his apartment that he and Leo used as their practice space.

Once he had drained his bottle, he grabbed another and tossed it to Leo, who was just coming out from behind his drum set.

"Thanks man," Leo said as he caught the bottle, unscrewing the lid before pressing the open bottle to his mouth.

Nico nodded as he plopped down in a seat, taking his hair out of it's bun and running his fingers through it before putting it back up, placing a cold water bottle to his forehead, and then to the back of his neck to help himself cool off.

As the two boys calmed down from their practice session, Leo shot a grin towards the dark-haired Italian. "I'm not saying that the rest of your songs suck, but this new one-" Leo whistled, "definitely one of the best ones you've written so far."

Nico grinned in response. All the songs he and Leo played were written by himself. He didn't much care for doing covers (however, he would still do them from time to time) and always found it easier to put emotion in his voice through his own lyrics, mirroring his own life experiences, and the emotions he felt during those times.

"Thanks man. I was hoping we could play it at Saturday's gig. I think we finally have all the kinks straightened out, so it's ready to play." Nico said in response, pulling his legs up to his chest.

Leo pulled a series of metal objects out of his pockets and started fiddling with them. "Definitely. I say we use it as our opener. It's such a bop, and since it's a new song, it'll grab the crowds attention!" Leo exclaimed excitedly.

Nico looked at Leo with unfocused eyes, lost in thought. "Hmm... I was thinking we use it as our closer, and use Lost in Hell as our opener, but I like your idea better, for once," Nico said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Thank you, thank yo- Hey!" Leo exclaimed upon realizing exactly what Nico had said.

Nico shot the boy a wide grin before standing up. "I think we should be good for the day. Same time tomorrow?"

Leo nodded. "Sure. I won't be able to go as long tomorrow though. Caly and I have date," Leo told Nico with a goofy grin.

"That's okay. I have movie night with Will tomorrow anyways," Nico replied as he packed up his guitar, and put up all the wires.

Leo sighed. "If it weren't for Katie, people would think you two were a thing." Leo said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Nico scoffed. "Don't even mention her name in my presence. You know how I feel about her." _And about Will,_ Nico added in his head.

Leo just shook his head, placing his drumsticks in his back pocket. "Whatever man. Just try to keep your jealousy in check, kay?" He said before ducking out of them room, just in time to miss the water bottle that was thrown at him. "That's, right Valdez! Get out of here before I get my hands on you!"

-

When Will woke in the morning, it took a second for his eyes to adjust, and when they did, it took him a moment to remember where he was.

That's right. After dinner last night, Will ended up following Katie home. Looking over to his right confirmed that, as well as the warm presence tucked into his side.

A small, soft smile spread across Will's face as he gazed upon his sleeping beauty's face, peaceful in sleep. Leaning over, Will pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, causing the girl to cuddle up closer to the blond male.

Will wanted to stay there forever. Despite what Nico had said yesterday, being with Katie did have it's good moments. He wouldn't have stayed with her if it didn't.

Too soon, the peace was broken as Katie stirred, looking up at Will with sleepy eyes. "Good morning," she purred, nuzzling into his bare chest. "Last night was amazing."

A low, husky chuckle escaped it's way out of Will's mouth as he pressed another kiss to her cheek. "Morning babe. Sorry if I woke you up."

Katie shook her head. "No, you didn't, it's alright." She yawned before pulling away from her boyfriend, sitting up, Will soon following suit.

"I'm gonna go shower, then I'll make breakfast, alright?" Will told her as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Oh, no. You are not making breakfast. I'll make breakfast while you shower." Katie said quickly.

"Why? You doubt my cooking skills?" Will said, feigning offense. 

Katie giggled. "You set off the fire alarms last time you tried to make something, so yes." She replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she passed him on her way to the kitchen. "Now go! I've got breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am!" Will saluted as he waltz into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

-

Friday night came faster than Nico had been anticipating, and it excited Nico. He always loved his and Will's movie night, which they had established when they first became best friends. Then, once they had moved out of their childhood homes and into their own apartments, they worked out how they would continue doing movie night, every Friday, alternating between each other's homes every week. This week, it was Nico's turn to host, so when he heard a light knock and the turn of a door handle, Nico smiled.

Nico had given Will a key to his apartment as soon as he had received it, the same went for Will and a key to his apartment. They lived in the same complex, but refused to room together. As much as they got along, they both needed their own space. Especially now they were old enough to have significant others without the watchful eye of their parents.

Will's smile matched Nico's as he held up a plastic bag full of snacks. "Let's get this party started!" Will exclaimed, setting the bag down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, taking the snacks out and spreading them out.

Nico rolled his eyes. "For the last time Will, it's not a party if it's just the two of us," he replied as he plopped himself down next to Will, setting a bowl of freshly popped popcorn on the table along with two liters of soda.

Settling his legs across Will's lap, Nico picked up the remote and turned on the tv in front of them. "So, what are we watching this week? It's your turn to pick."

Will plucked the remote out of Nico's hand, (not without argument from the boy himself), and started scrolling through Netflix. "Hmmm..." Will's eyes lit up as he spotted a movie he had been yearning to watch for a while. "How about this, Brain on Fire." Will played the trailer.

Nico squinted as he watched, before switching to look at Will, who was watching with such an interest that Nico just couldn't say no. He found it hard to say no to Will regardless. Nico shrugged. "Sure, go ahead and click play."

Will let out a squeal of delight as he pressed play on the movie, reaching over Nico's legs to get the bowl of popcorn.

-

Nico let out a yawn as the movie ended. Turning on a random show, Nico turned his head up to look at Will. At some point during the movie, Nico had removed his legs from Will's lap, and had instead leaned against Will's side, laying his head on his shoulder. They had always been platonic cuddlers, and that fact had yet to change as they got older, even with the addition of significant others.

"So, not to put a damper on our amazing evening, but I've been wanting to ask. How did your date last night, go? Hopefully it wasn't horrible?" Nico asked. As much as he couldn't stand his girlfriend, he still wanted to make sure her relationship with Will was alright. Especially if Will hadn't come to him in tears, sobbing about a breakup.

Will let out a content sigh. "It was good. It didn't start out all that great, but we made up. And made out," Will said with a large smirk.

Nico scoffed and pushed himself away from his best friend. " _Ew,_ gross. I did not need to know that much." Nico said with a shiver. 

Will chuckled as he stood up, stretching. "I should get back to my place now. This was fun. Don't stay up too late, alright? And brush your teeth before going to bed, God knows how much sugar we both consumed tonight."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dr. Solace, I'll _definitely_ do all those things I didn't hear you say. Anyways, you're still coming to tomorrow night's gig right? We're playing a new song and I want you to be there." Nico asked as he walked with Will over to the door.

Will nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world, Death Boy. I'll see you tomorrow." Will ruffled his hair before opening the door and leaving, shutting it behind himself.

-

Nico was a nervous wreck. He always got nervous before shows, and even more so when introducing a new song. All the anxieties of whether or not the audience would like them or not would eat at him until he finally got through it. It was a lot worse when they had started performing two years ago. It had taken months of anxiety and Will calming him down from panic attacks before he was able to get on stage without having a panic attack.

That's not to say the anxiety hasn't gone away though. After their shows, Nico could be found shaking for the next hour, only Will and Jason having the capabilities of keeping him from blowing up into a panic attack.

Stepping out from the employee room of the cafe they were playing at, Nico took a peek at the crowd. It was a bigger audience than they usually gathered and Nico could feel his heart rate start to spike. 

Just as he was about to duck back into the room to calm himself down, his eyes flickered over to a figure laden in dark clothing sitting at the bar. The owner of the dark clothing was looking his way with a smirk on his face, and when Nico's eyes met his, he could feel the panic rising, his eyes widening in fear as he scrambled backward into the room, the door shutting and distancing himself from the guy at the bar.

Of course he had to show up on the day he and Leo were debuting their new song. His new song.

Nico was now shaking, taking shallow breaths. He could feel the tears running down his cheeks, and could distinctly hear someone calling his name, but the words were too muffled to pick up.

Some time between shutting the door and falling back in the room, Nico had leaned against the wall and slid down it, pulling his legs to his chest as his hands gripped tightly at his hair.

"-ico! Nico, Death Boy, hey hey, you're okay." Soft hands pulled Nico's hands from his hair and intertwined their fingers with Nico's.

Opening his eyes, which he hadn't realized had squeezed closed in his panic, he looked up to see cerulean, blue eyes staring at him in concern, a soft smile spread across the face in front of him. "There you are." The voice said softly. It was only then that Nico recognized the voice speaking to him. "Will?" Nico said, his throat thick with tears, making his accent that much more prominent, turning the 'i' in Will's name to a longer 'e' sound.

"Yeah, it's me, Death Boy. Can you breathe for me?" Will asked softly.

Nico tried to take a deep breath, but it only made everything hurt, so he shook his head, entire body trembling. He felt Will grab Nico's hand in his, his eyes meeting Nico's, as if asking if that was alright, and Nico gave him a slight nod, allowing Will to drag his hand up to his chest where he was crouched in front of the small boy. "Can you feel my heartbeat?" Nico nodded. "Good, that's good, Nico. Let it resound through you, and guide you. Breathe along with it, can you do that? Doesn't have to be big breaths." Nico nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on Will's pulse through his hand, breathing in through his nose, out through his mouth, as Will had coached him through the years.

It was another five minutes of patient breathing before Nico had calmed down enough to slouch over and bury his face in Will's shoulder, now sobbing. Will was gently running a hand up and down his back as he whispered gentle encouragements.

When Nico finally stopped crying, he pulled back enough to look at Will, a hiccup escaping his mouth as he did so. His hands came up to wipe at his face, Will's hand soon replacing his own as he swept Nico's hair out of his face, his hands sliding down his face to rest his thumbs just underneath his eyes to wipe the remaining tears.

"You're okay," he muttered gently. Nico nodded along. "What happened? You haven't had a panic attack before a show in ages." Will asked softly.

Nico drew in a shaky breath before answering. "E-ethan. He's here. At the bar." Nico replied, his voice so quiet, Will wouldn't have been able to hear it had he not been so close.

Looking at Will's face, Nico could see Will's eyes harden. "He didn't. No he fucking didn't." "Will!-" Nico called out to him as Will stood up and stormed over to the door, opening it to take a peak outside at the crowd. Nico had to look away, flinching as Will slammed the door shut. Hearing a whimper, Will looked over at Nico, his face softening. Making his way back to Nico, he knelt back down in front of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I just... How dare he show up? After what he did to you..."

Nico nodded, eyes squeezing shut as he reached his hands out to intertwine with Will's, squeezing them to make sure he was still actually there.

Ethan Nakamura was Nico's ex-boyfriend. Nico had originally gotten together with him to try and forget about Will, but had ended up falling for the dark-haired man. He wouldn't say he was in love with him, but he had developed some pretty strong feelings for him. That was, until Ethan had broken the sweet, soft, naïve façade that he had formed, that he had used to reel in Nico.

Nico winced as he remembered the sharp hand Ethan had laid on him after a particularly bad beating. That was when Will, Jason, and his other friends had finally intervened, spotting the bruises when he had come home the next day. They had helped him move into the same apartment complex Will was in. Once fully moved in, Nico hadn't left his apartment in over a week, only getting by with Will stopping by multiple times every day until he finally had the courage to leave. Once he realized he was safe, life began to return to normal again, and he could be touched without flinching.

Nico shook himself out of his memories and looked back into Will's eyes. "I want him gone." Nico said quietly, voice hard. "I can't perform with him there." Speaking of performing... "Hey, where's Leo?" He asked.

Will shot him a small smile. "I had him step out and let the manager know the show was gonna be a few minutes late. As well as get some water. I'll go let him know it's okay to come back in. I'll get Jason as well, alright?" Nico nodded. That would be good. Together, Will and Jason could get Ethan out of the cafe.

Will got up after giving Nico's hands one more gentle squeeze and went out to find their friends.

Nico was notified of their return when he heard Jason come sit next to him. "Hey, you okay?" Nico shot him a weak smile. "I will be. But uh..." Nico looked over at Will, silently communicating with him. After a moment, Will nodded, then turned to face Jason. "Ethan showed up. We need to get him to leave." Jason's face hardened before nodding. "Sounds good. I wouldn't mind kicking him out." Will nodded and then looked over to Leo, who, for once, had silently entered the room, staying back as to not crowd Nico. Will muttered another "we'll be back" before leaving the room with Jason. It was then that Leo came forward, sat next to Nico, and offered him a bottle of water, which Nico took, and chugged, appreciatively.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Leo asked. Nico shot him a small smile. "I'll be okay, Leo. Thank you though. Will got me through the worst of it, and when they get Ethan out of here, I should be good to go on. I'm sorry for holding us back."

Leo shook his head. "No, you're not holding us back. You're health comes first, physical and mental. If you need some time, then you get time." He reached out to push a lock of Nico's dark hair behind his ear.

They continued to just sit in silence, which satisfied Nico. If he talked a lot now, he didn't think he'd have enough energy for the show tonight.

It wasn't much longer before Will and Jason returned, expressions unreadable.

Nico looked up from where he sat. "Is he gone?" He asked, his voice much stronger than before.

Will and Jason shared a look before Will sighed, crouching down in front of Nico once more. "No. He refused to leave and the manager on duty wouldn't let us kick him out, _but_ -" Will continued, not giving Nico room to butt in, "-he's agreed to stay in the back, away from the stage, and away from you. Plus, Jason's volunteered to stay near him in case he tries anything. Will you be okay?"

Nico drew in another breath before nodding. That he could deal with, at least now that he's gotten most of his panic out of his system. "I'm ready. Jason, can you go tell the manager that we're ready to perform now?" Jason shot Nico a concerned look before caving and nodding, heading out of the room.

Five minutes later, Nico was walking out and up onto the stage with his guitar, Leo settling down at his drum set behind him.

"Hey everyone! How are you all doing tonight?" Nico exclaimed into the mic in front of him, earning a series of yells from the crowd that had formed around the stage now that the show was starting.

"If you're new here, I'm Nico, and the guy back there on the drums is Leo, and we're Hail the Dead! Tonight we're going to be starting with a new song I wrote called Scarlet Letter, I hope you all like it!" Nico took a step back from the microphone as he looked back at Leo, nodding his head before stepping back up to the mic to begin singing.

" _Come on in boy,  
Said the skeletons,  
Sitting by her closet door.  
Dirty secrets, empty memories,  
And broken hearts across the floor,_"

Nico closed his eyes as he sang, pouring all his emotions from tonight and from where he drew the inspiration of the song, into his words as he sang, his hands cupping the mic as it was just him. Leo could be heard on the drums as he came in a few verses later.

" _No one will love you like I did,  
Will treat you like I did,  
So go on wear that scarlet letter.  
No one will love you like I did,  
Will touch you like I did,  
So good luck finding something better._"

Nico's hands found their way to his electric guitar as he sang, pouring his emotion now not only into his vocals, but into his guitar, letting those feelings guide him. He could hear the crowd cheering as the song grew more hype.

Opening his eyes as he neared then end, his gaze caught Will's, who was smiling so wide, you'd think it was about to fall off his face.

" _Someday you may find,  
That picture perfect guy,  
And I'll chase my words with poison,  
Until that day arrives,  
And swine take to the sky,  
Fill your void with open thighs, so_

 _No one will love you like I did,  
Will treat you like I did,  
So go on wear that scarlet letter.  
No one will love you like I did,  
Will fuck you like I did,  
So good luck finding something better._"

Nico and Leo let the instruments fade out as Nico continued singing the last two lines of the song, his voice fading into nothing as it came to a close. Nico was now full on smiling, the adrenaline he got from performing filling his lungs.

They continued to play a few more songs before calling it a night. "And that was our last song, folks! Thanks for coming out to see us! Your support means the world to us. See you next week!" He called out, walking off the stage with Leo, and into Will's open arms, who had come forward to hug him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song represented in this chapter is [The Haunting by Set It Off](https://youtu.be/X0hqEjoQikg)  
> Ya'll should go check it, and the band, out! They're amazing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: attempted rape/sexual harrassment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It is currently 3:30 in the morning as I'm working on posting this, haha! I had just finally managed to get an idea together for the rest of the chapter and just had to get it done before I forgot it all.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter is a bit heavier than the other 2 so far, so please read at your own risk. Take care of yourself.
> 
> Now, I mentioned this on tumblr (follow me @unreliable-trash) but I have a little special surprise for you all, which may end up being nothing special for ya'll in the end, but it's special to me. I made a You Belong With Me (YBWM) playlist! Available [here on youtube music!](https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXGaSKaY2uUEog0u1yWr35WDDoQvlZefP) I'm always adding more music to it! It contains songs that appear in the fic itself, as well as potential songs, and even songs that I just feel add to the vibe! I can make it a spotify playlist too if ya'll would prefer that, just let me know down in the comments!
> 
> Now, one more thing before the story  
> I have a little fun fact: while writing this chapter, I envisioned that Ethan and Nico's fights (which are more just Ethan yelling at Nico), are like when JD talks to Veronica in Meant To Be Yours from Heathers the Musical, lol

That night, Will went home with Nico. Despite the smile that had spread wide across the Italian's face by the end of the show, Will knew that the adrenaline rush he was feeling would end eventually, and either the memories, the panic, or both would be back by the end of the night, and there was no way he was going to let his best friend go through that alone.

As he prepared to leave, walking with Nico to their corresponding vehicles, he sent Katie a text, letting her know he wouldn't be coming back to her place tonight, that Nico needed him, stuffing his phone in his pocket afterwards, not caring if she saw it or not.

Looking over at Nico, he could already see the exhaustion settling on his face. 

"Hey, you sure you're okay to drive home?" He asked.

Nico shot Will a small, almost strained smile. "I'll be fine. I'll even text you once I'm in my apartment if it'll make you happy. But don't feel like you have to check in on me, you can go back to Katie's."

Will shook his head. "Nope, sorry, no can do. I'm hanging out with you tonight." He told the dark-haired boy, when a flicker of a shadow caught Will's attention out of the corner of his eye. However, glancing around, he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary, so he brought his attention back to Nico.

Now it was Nico's turn to shake his head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine, Will. Really. Go spend time with your girlfriend."

Will placed his hands on Nico's shoulders, forcing the shorter boy to look at him straight on. "You're my best friend, and I want to spend time with you, is that really too much to ask?"

Will could see Nico's eyes soften as he spoke, and he let a smile spread across his freckled face as Nico answered, "No, of course not. I'm sorry. You know I love hanging out with you. Just come over once you're back, okay?"

Will nodded. He had been planning on doing so regardless, but it always felt better to hear Nico say it. "Will do. Now go ahead and get home before you drop dead," he said with a chuckle.

Nico stuck his tongue out at him before pulling on his helmet and climbing on his motorcycle, speeding away.

Will let out a sigh of relief as he watched Nico go. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up, Will looked around once more. Still not noticing anything out of the ordinary, he climbed into his car, making sure to lock the doors. One last glance around, and then Will was out of there.

-

It wasn't until Nico walked into his dark, empty apartment, that the adrenaline rush finally faded, and the contents of the night finally caught up with him.

Sucking in a breath, Nico hurried to turn on the lights, not wanting to be alone in the dark. It wasn't enough to just turn on one of the lights. No, running around his apartment, Nico turned on every single light he had before cowering in a corner in his bedroom, drawing his knees up to his chest. It was only after picking his face up off of his knees a couple minutes later that he realized he had been crying. That in itself only made him cry harder. He had already cried once tonight, why did he have to cry again? He hated crying, it made him feel weak.

A sound coming from the living room made Nico look up again. "Will?" He called out, wincing at how his voice cracked at the end of his name.

When he heard nothing in return, he started to panic. Will always made his presence known. He knew about Nico's past trauma, and knew how much it meant to him to not be snuck up on, or get surprise visits, but it wasn't until he heard footsteps approach his room that the panic really started to set it.

"Will?" He tried calling out again, a bit louder this time.

Nico jumped when he heard a deep chuckle, and opened his eyes. When had he closed them?

"Try again." Came the same, deep voice he had heard a second ago, and Nico could feel his pulse stop for a second, the blood starting to rush in his ears. "No..." He whispered, staring the person responsible for at least half of his past traumas in front of him.

Ethan didn't even try squatting down to be level with Nico, just looked down at him with a sinister smile on his face.

"You thought you could just leave? Take all your stuff with you, and not even tell me your new address? Oh babe, how many times do I have to tell you that you'll never be rid of me?" He said with another deep chuckle.

Nico was shaking like a leaf at this point. It hadn't been that long since he had finally gotten over the dark-haired man in front of him, when he had finally felt safe in public. All his progress. Ruined.

Lost in his thoughts, Nico didn't see Ethan jump him until it was too late. He was sobbing at this point and he tried to wrestle Ethan's hands away from his body. "Stop! Please! Just stop!" He cried, almost choking on his tears.

Ethan only smirked as one of his hands ran up Nico's chest under his shirt, the other attempting to tug down his pants.

"Come now, you remember don't you? You can't fight me, sweetheart. It only ends in pain." When Nico continued to fight, his cries growing in volume, Ethan growled, digging his long nails in where his hand rested on the side of his chest, drawing blood. Nico let out another cry as the pain rushed through him before attempting to finally quiet himself. Ethan was right. He couldn't fight. It would hurt either way, so why not go through the route that would cause him the least amount of pain?

Lost in thought and pain, Nico gasped as he felt Ethan's lips press against his, his warm tongue pressing at Nico's lips, begging for entrance. For as long as he could, Nico refused, tears running down his face as his ex-boyfriend molested him.

When Ethan bit down on his bottom lip, hard, Nico let out another gasp, allowing Ethan's tongue entrance into his mouth.

Nico had enough of this. Will's apartment wasn't far away, he could make it if he could just get up. Biting down hard on Ethan's tongue, the dark-haired man let out of yell of pain, backing away from Nico.

Nico scrambled to his feet, beginning to sob again and he attempted to run out of his room, and out the door to his apartment. He made it as far as the living room before he felt Ethan shove him from behind, pushing him to the ground. Before Ethan could clasp a hand over his mouth, Nico let out a scream for help.

It wasn't until Ethan was covering him again that Nico started to hear footsteps running down the hall. Maybe he was beginning to hallucinate? He was certainly hysterical enough too. After all, no one had come before, why would they come now?

When he felt a weight lift off of him and saw Ethan sprawled out, curled up in a fetal position, Nico realized that he hadn't been hallucinating. He really had heard someone running down the hall.

Nico flinched when he felt hands on his arms, attempting to help him up. "Don't touch me!" He yelled out. "Please," he continued, this time his voice a measly whimper.

"Nico, it's Will. You're okay, it's me, Will." Nico heard a voice say.

"Will," Nico whimpered again before throwing himself into his best friend's open arms, sobbing into his chest. He felt Will's warm arms close around him, tight enough to ensure him that he was real, but loose enough that he could draw back if he needed to.

"Jason's here too," Will told him, voice soft. "He's taking care of Ethan. You're safe, you're okay. Did he hurt you?" Will drew back just enough to look Nico in the face, cerulean eyes scanning his for any hint of discomfort.

Nico was about to shake his head no, when a distant stinging had him wincing and nodding instead. "My-my side. Nails." Was all he said. Will nodded as he brought Nico closer to him again, and Nico let him, letting his forehead rest against Will's chest. "Do you wanna stay here? Or-" Before he could continue, Nico was shaking his head. " _No!_ No, not here! Please!" Will nodded again. "Of course. Do you want to come home with me?" This time Nico nodded, tightening his arms around Will. "Please." His voice cracked, making Nico let out a dry sob. "Of course, Sunshine. Of course. Come on, let's get you fixed up, okay? I can run you a warm bath when we get there, and then I can clean you up. And don't worry about clothes, you can borrow some of mine, okay? That way it's extra loose on you." Nico could only nod, his heart swelling at Will's words, falling more in love with the taken boy each second, despite his current predicament that forced them in this position.

Twenty minutes later, Will was drawing a warm bath as Nico sat on Will's bed, the bathroom door connected to the bedroom wide open so the Italian still had a semi-clear view of the blond.

Nico was still quiet when Will walked back out a few seconds later, letting the tub fill with water.

"How?" He asked quietly, unable to meet Will's eyes as he looked down at his hands, which clenched tightly at his shirt.

He felt the bed dip next to him, and looked up at Will pried his hands away from his shirt to hold them gently in his own hands. Nico knew it was to keep him from hurting himself, but he couldn't help but relish in the warm bubble of delight that pooled in his chest at the action.

"I had this weird feeling while we were talking before you left. Like someone was watching us. I don't know. Something was just off and the feeling wouldn't go away. Then I tried to call your phone, and you wouldn't answer, and I got worried. So I rushed back as soon as I could and that's when I found you." Will said softly, and Nico could see his eyes shining with unshed tears and all he wanted to do was reach up and cradle his face, tell him that he was alright now that they were together, but he couldn't. Not only because Will wasn't his to do that with, but because he knew he wasn't alright. Sure, physically he'd be fine in a couple days, but mentally? He already knew he'd be a wreck for... He doesn't even know. 

Shaking his head, he refocused his gaze on Will's face, his lip quivering in the beginning of a new series of sobs, doing what they can to break free.

Will, seeming to see the upcoming tears on his face, reached out and put his arms around Nico, drawing him back into his chest, running a hand soothingly up and down his back. "Shhh, you're okay. It's okay."

Nico's hands gripped the front of Will's shirt as he began sobbing again, the day's events catching up with him once more. This time it passed much quicker, and soon Will was pulling away from him, only to pull him towards the bathroom. "Come on," he said softly. "Your bath should be ready now. And it's just how you like it."

Nico only followed him, watching as Will let go of him to turn off the water.

Will turned back to him once the water was off. "So, how do you want to do this? We can either strip you down to your underwear if you want me to stay in here with you, you can strip completely and just close the shower curtain and I can continue to sit in here with you, or I can sit outside, door open or closed."

Nico took a moment to consider it before saying, "Maybe just sit outside? With the door open?"

Will nodded. "You said something about his nails hurting you, right?" He asked softly before getting a confirming nod and continuing. "If you take your shirt off, I can look at it." Nico took a deep breath before nodding again, gripping the bottom of his shirt and lifting it over his head, wincing as the fabric rubbed against his wound.

Will sucked in a breath as he got a look at the prominent nail marks embedded in Nico's side. They weren't terrible. The deep, crescent markings had only gone in deep enough to draw blood to the surface and hang around the top layer of skin. "It's not bad. I'm just gonna clean it and put some Neosporin on it ." Will informed him, dropping his hand from where it had reached up to touch the skin around the markings.

Nico just nodded as Will grabbed a washcloth and dipped it into the bath, wringing it out until it was damp.

Nico hissed as Will pressed the damp cloth to his side. The markings may not have been deep, but that didn't make it sting any less.

"Sorry," Will muttered as he dabbed the wounds clean. "There, you should be good now. The towel hanging up is clean, so feel free to use that when you're done, and I'll have a set of clothes waiting for you when you're done. If you need anything, just let me know, I'll be right outside the door, okay? I'm not leaving you alone." Nico nodded and watched Will leave and didn't start stripping until Will had laid a pile of clothes inside the door.

-

Will sighed as he dragged a hand over his face. Of everything to happen tonight, this was the last thing on Will's radar.

The tears that he himself had been holding back for Nico's sake finally spilled, his body starting to shake with the threat of sobs. With Nico on the other side of the wall though, Will refused to let himself do anything more than let the tears run down his face.

Of course it was in that moment that his phone began to rang, the ringtone one that Will knew all too well.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, and moving to stand farther from the bathroom, Will hit accept and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" He answered.

"William! Where are you? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago!" Will winced as the voice yelled at him through the phone. With everything that had went down tonight, he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to meet Katie at her place for a date night. At her tone of voice, Will could guess she hadn't seen his text message from earlier.

"Sorry, Katie. I'm gonna have to cancel on tonight. Something happened to Nico, and he needs me right now." He said briefly, refusing to go into any detail about the current situation.

He could practically feel her anger from where he stood, despite it all. "That's what's keeping you? I'm your girlfriend. I don't care about whatever the hell your little friend is going through. Tonight's _my_ night with you. It's always Nico this, Nico that. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're just like that _fag_."

Now it was Will's turn to be angry. He was in no mood to be fighting with her again, but he refused to let anyone say these things about his best friend.

His voice was low, lower than he had ever heard himself go, and full of anger as he responded. "Don't you _dare_ talk about him like that. He is my best friend. He has _always_ been there for me when I needed him, and I will always be there for him when he needs me. This is one of those nights. You have _no_ idea what happened, and therefore have no say of the situation. And he is not-" Will took a breath to keep himself from grinding his teeth together at the word, "-a fag. Don't you _ever_ call him that." He couldn't help his heart racing at the word, nor the fear that spiked through him at the thought of Katie hating his best friend over his sexuality. If that's how she felt about it, then how would she feel about him and his attraction to both girls and guys?

As he was about to continue on his little rant, he heard Nico call his name faintly from across the room. "I have to go. We'll talk again tomorrow when we're both thinking more rationally." He hung up without another word before turning around to see Nico standing in the doorway to the bathroom, Will's clothing hanging off his thin frame. He could see the concern etched onto the dark-haired boy's face, and a small, soft smile spread across Will's lips as he realized it was out of concern for him.

Taking the few steps towards him to close the distance, Will brought his arms across Nico's shoulders and rested his chin on Nico's head.

"Will?" He heard again.

Will shook his head. "I'm alright. What about you? Feeling any better?" He could feel Nico nod beneath him.

"Good." He drew back enough to be able to see Nico's face. "Are you hungry? I could order takeout and we could sit on the couch and watch movies," he offered.

Nico shook his head. "Can... Can we just go to sleep? Please? I'm tired..." He said softly.

Now that he mentioned it, Will could see the exhaustion in his body language. "Of course." He replied just as soft. "You can go ahead and crawl into bed. I'll join you once I change, okay?" At Nico's nod of affirmation, Will made his way into his closet.

This wouldn't be the first time they've shared a bed. It used to be a common occurrence for them in middle school, and even in high school they'd go so far as cuddling. Neither of them minded. They were both suckers for platonic cuddling, and their significant others had never really minded. At least, up till Katie and Ethan. Ethan became outright possessive of Nico while they had been together, which Will had found out the reason for after they had broken up, and then Katie... Wasn't accepting of it at all. She had made sure to drill it into his head that it wasn't allowed. That it wasn't normal, hence he wasn't allowed to do it anymore. He'd always look at Nico apologetically whenever Katie would snap at them about it when Will would forget.

Will shook his head to clear the memories as he pulled on his pajamas before rejoining Nico.

Nico was curled up under the covers on the side farthest from the closet, so that he was facing Will as he approached.

When Will crawled up into bed, settling himself under the covers, he felt Nico scooch over to him, curling up into him.

For the first time in a long time, Will felt his heart thump in excitement as he wrapped his arms protectively around the smaller boy, resting his head just about Nico's on the pillow they were now sharing. For some reason, this time just felt... Different. Not protectiveness over the Italian, although he sure was that. But... Affection? He shoved the thought out of his head. He didn't quite know what exactly it was that he was feeling, only that he had a faint idea that he shouldn't be feeling this way towards his best friend.

Bringing himself back to reality, he could hear Nico's slow breaths and realized that he was already asleep. He must have been more tired than he realized. He couldn't remember a time that Nico had fallen asleep so quickly. In a way, he was glad for it. He was afraid that after the events of tonight, he wouldn't be able to sleep at all. He was glad that Nico felt safe enough with him to entrust Will to protect him, even in sleep.

With that thought in mind, Will let his eyes close as sleep overtook him, a soft smile on his face.

-

He had expected to be plagued with nightmares that night, but surprisingly enough, he had gotten undisturbed rest, which he presumed to be Will's doing. 

Nico groaned as he curled up even further into himself as he woke. He had expected to hit the solid force of Will's body in that movement, but was surprised as he felt nothing.

Opening his eyes, Nico could see the space next to him was empty. Starting to panic, Nico sat up and looked around. "Will?" He tried to call out, but his voice failed him, only coming out as a soft putter, hoarse from sleep and the tears of last night. Continuing to look around for evidence of Will's presence, Nico noticed the bedroom door cracked open, and if he listened, he could hear Will's voice from the other side. He sounded... Angry.

"... Shut up. If you continue on a single word, I'm hanging up." He could hear Will saying. Nico didn't realize when he had gotten up and out of bed, but before he knew it, he was standing by the door, listening to a conversation he knew he had no right to hear. Especially when he didn't know who was on the other line. Whoever it was, it was clear that they were making Will angry.

"You're done?" He could hear Will saying incredulously. "I can't believe you. No. If anyone's done here, it's me. I'm sorry, Kat- Actually, you know what? I'm not sorry. You've been treating me like shit for a while now, and while I can tolerate you being awful to me, I will not tolerate it when it comes to him. I tried to give you a chance to think over what you said last night and you obviously still stand by your words. I'll drop off whatever of your stuff is lying around my place when I find the time. Bye, Katie."

Nico scuttled away from the door as he heard Will hang up, and made his was into the bathroom to make it look like he had been getting ready for the day, not eavesdropping on his friend's phone call.

Nico heard the bedroom door open and Will call his name as the blond realized he was missing. Walking out of the bathroom smoothing down his bedhead, he called, "I'm here."

Finally able to see Will's face, he could see just how red it was, most likely from anger. But more than that, Nico noticed the tears lingering in his eyes, and the quiver of his lip of withheld sobs. Nico's face softened considerably. "Oh Sunshine..." Was all he had to say before Will started whimpering. Nico crossed the room and held his arms open in invitation, which Will accepted gratefully, sobs now wracking his body as Nico held him.

When the sobs finally died down, Nico pulled back enough to face Will, his hands resting on either arm. "What's wrong, Sunshine?" He asked. He knew it had something to do with that phone call, and Katie, but he didn't want to make assumptions.

Will looked down at his feet guiltily. Nico gently squeezed his arms. "Hey, it's okay. I may not be 100% on my game right now, but that doesn't mean you can't talk to me." He said softly. Will nodded. "I..." He heard Will's voice crack as well as the shaky breath he took afterwards. "I broke up with Katie." Will replied so quietly that Nico wasn't sure he had heard him right. "You broke up with Katie?" He asked, a bit shocked. He knew he had expressed multiple times to Will how much he hated her and their relationship, but he never really expected Will to be the one to break things off. He always expected it would've been Katie. Or something would've happened to make Will break up with her.

Will nodded once more. "Yeah. She... She called me last night after... Yeah. She was mad. Last night was supposed to be date night and I told her I had to postpone. I didn't tell her everything, I wouldn't do that to you. Just that you were going through some things and needed me."

Nico swallowed the hard lump that had formed in his throat. Will and Katie had gotten into a fight about _him_. _He_ was the reason they broke up. He had wanted them to break up from the moment they had gotten together, but not like this. _Never_ like this.

Almost as if Will could read his mind, he felt the other boy reach up and squeeze his hands reassuringly. "It's not your fault, Nico. It wasn't anything you did. She..." Will let out a huff of angry as her words came back. "She started insulting you, degrading you, and I couldn't let that slide. Anyone that would dare disrespect you like that doesn't deserve to be in my life. We're a package deal, you and I. I should've realized that sooner, and for that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let her disrespect you so much in the past. What's done is done, but we won't have to deal with it anymore. _You_ won't have to deal with it anymore." He could see Will start to smile as he finished explaining, as if he realized he finally had a weight off his shoulders that he hadn't realized he had been carrying. Nico smiled softly back at him. He still couldn't believe that Will had defended his so fiercely against someone he had been dating only moments ago. "Thank you, Sunshine." He replied quietly, looking up at him through dark eyelashes. "I don't know what I would do without you."

-

Over the course of the next two weeks, a lot happened, and nothing happened, at the same time. Nico hadn't left Will's apartment once, except for a couple grocery runs, and even those had only been with Will by his side. It was only a couple days after the incident that they had gotten news from Jason that Ethan had been arrested. Nico had teared up, and eventually cried, over it, this time out of happiness. As far as he was concerned, he wouldn't have to deal with his insane ex in a very long time, if ever again. He even planned on going back to his own apartment after his next gig, now that he didn't have to worry about Ethan coming to his place in the middle of the night.

Will would hang out with him whenever he wasn't at work or sleeping, and in exchange, Nico would cook homemade meals for the two of them. He would be eternally grateful to Will for letting him invade his place while Nico didn't feel comfortable or safe in his own.

Finally, the night of his band's next gig arrived, and Nico was a ball of nervous. He was pacing the backroom, trying to get his jitters out. He knew he had nothing to fear, but the events of two weeks ago kept popping back in his head.

Nico's head shot up when he heard the door opening, but soon relaxed when he realized it was just Will, Leo, and Jason. He cracked a small smile. "Hey guys."

His three friends each smiled back at him. Leo approached him, a bottle of water in his hands meant for Nico, who accepted it gratefully. "You sure you're ready to perform tonight?" Leo asked nervously. Nico nodded. "I'm sure, Leo. I have to get back onstage eventually, right? Besides, I'm not going to let what happened set me back. Not this time." Nico and Will had invited Leo over one night to explain to him what had happened. Saying that Leo was pissed was an understatement. He had completely threatened to find out where the man lived and burn down his place, which Nico had to quickly put out. "I understand the sentiment, but that's not really necessary." He had said in an attempt to calm the boy, who was even shorter than Nico, if possible, down. Thankfully, Leo had seemed to give the idea up almost as soon as it had arrived.

Leo clapped him on the shoulder as a grin shot across his face. "Of course. We're gonna kill 'em out there, _mi amigo._ "

Will then approached the two short boys. "It's almost time for you guys to start, you should probably go out there."

Nico nodded. "You guys are gonna love this. We have an epic layout tonight."

A few minutes later, Nico was introducing themselves as they plunged into their first song, making sure to get the crowd, which was slightly smaller than at their last gig, hype. It was almost always Nico that did the talking during their sets, and Leo was a-okay with that, but tonight was different. As they approached their last song, Nico stood back from the microphone as Leo started talking. "Thank you everyone for coming out to see us. Our next song is a special one, especially to Nico. Those of us who come to see us regularly know that it's not often that we sing covers, as they tend to not really match our style. Tonight is an exception." Nico could feel eyes on him as he set his guitar down on its stand, and moved to pick up his keyboard to set at the front of the small stage along with a stool for him to sit on. As he sat down, he could hear Leo finishing up their practiced speech. "Our last song for tonight folk's is going to be all Nico." Leo nodded to him to continue.

"Hey guys. As you've heard Leo say, this is a special song to us, to me. It used to be one of my sister's favorite songs before she passed away. She's the one that inspired me to become who I am today, and I couldn't be more grateful. This song is one she used to sing to me whenever I was feeling down, or out of place. Whenever I was sad, she'd put on this song and sing it to me and start making me dance around with her until I was laughing, or at the very least smiling." Nico smiled as he remembered all the times she had done it. It was more than he could count. A few years ago, Nico would've shut down at the slightest mention of Bianca. Her death had been the hardest on him. Harder than his mother's passing. Much harder. But now, with help from close friends, family, and from his therapist, he loved talking about her, choosing to think about the good memories instead of the bad.

"This song is called Happier, by Marshmello. The original song itself never got the right emotion out of me, or conveyed how the song made me feel, so I composed a piano version of it, which I'll be playing for you all tonight. I hope you enjoy." With that, Nico bent the microphone stand into place and straightened up as he softly laid his fingers over the keys of his keyboard. One deep breath later, and his fingers were moving.

" _Lately, I've been, I've been thinking  
I want you to be happier, I want you to be happier_"

Nico closed his eyes and he sang, letting his emotions flow through his fingers into the keys, and through his vocal chords, out through his mouth.

" _When the morning comes  
When we see what we've become  
In the cold light of day we're a flame in the wind  
Not the fire that we've begun  
Every argument, every word we can't take back  
'Cause with the all that has happened  
I think that we both know the way that this story ends._"

Nico would never admit it if you asked, but a couple of tears slid from his eyes as he sang, and he was sure he wasn't the only one when he looked around the room. Quite a few people seemed moved to tears, and it only made him burst with pride. Music was one of the few things in life he felt he did well, so knowing that he had the ability to move people with song made him so so happy.

Nico only grew more passionate as the song went on, and it wasn't until he neared the end that his strokes on the keyboard softened, and the notes themselves came out gently, as if they were aware of the thick cloud of emotion hanging in the air.

His fingers continued on as he finished singing, throat raw with emotion, until eventually even his fingers stopped.

There was a brief pause, where no sound was heard at all, and you could've heard a pin drop, before the room exploded. It was the loudest response they had ever gotten from a crowd, and it certainly wasn't expected from one of this size. In his bewilderment, he looked back at Leo who looked just as equally shocked before getting up and running over to hug Nico as he stood. They were soon joined by Will and Jason who, but the shininess of their faces, had also leaked a few tears, and Nico could easily say it was one of the best nights of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so some context for this chapter's song. I envisioned this [piano composition](https://youtu.be/SJxNuDzBqw0) with just Nico's voice. So it's quite literally only Nico singing this song and Leo's just sitting behind him, watching and listening in awe. 
> 
> Also, I just realized that in the first chapter, I had set them up as college students. Well uh... I don't want that anymore? And I don't want to rewrite the first chapter. Too much of a hassle. So we're gonna pretend that didn't happen. They're 24 and 25 (Nico - Will) years old now. Nico's a music instructor as a music store near his apartment, and Will's a pediatrician at the nearby hospital. Glad we got that covered 👍


End file.
